The Construction of Contracts: Interpretation, Implication and Rectification - Tapa dura

This exciting new practitioner-orientated text provides a clear and comprehensive account of the legal principles and doctrines which come into play whenever the parties disagree about the meaning and effect of the contractual words. Most commercial transactions, from the supply of goods of services to the sale of a business, are reduced to writing. In most cases this entails that the deal is recorded in clear and certain terms for the parties to perform. Nevertheless written contracts are abundant with disputes about the meaning and effect of particular words and phrases. Although the common law principles and techniques of construction are of long ancestry, they have recently come to greater prominence as judges have self-consciously sought to modernise the approach to the interpretation of contractual instruments. This work provides a new and refreshed account of the principles involved, focusing on the practitioner's needs, tackling modernisation head on and equipping readers with the necessary means to avoid pitfalls in contractual provisions. The coverage extends to related rules and doctrines, including rectification and implication of terms, and consideration of the status of the controversial 'parol evidence rule.' The book also considers the nature of effect of particular species of contractual provision, including warranties and indemnities, exemption clauses, 'force majeure' clauses and 'entire agreement' clauses.

Gerard McMeel is Professor of Law at the University of Bristol and writes widely on contract law and commercial and financial legal matters. He is a graduate of Brasenose College, Oxford University. Gerard is a barrister at Guildhall Chambers in Bristol and specializes in both commercial and financial disputes. He is also a Door Tenant of Quadrant Chambers, a leading commercial set in London. Gerard combines an academic interest in commercial and financial law with an active private practice in the field. This work on contractual interpretation proceeds from earlier work in the field, and is in part the result of lecturing on the subject to lawyers across England and Wales.